|
| I've been down to Ground Zero on September 11th for past 3 years. Someone who meant a lot to someone really close to me was killed that day. She was in the first building that was hit, and the floor she worked on was approximately where the first plane slammed into the first tower of two. This happened on a day that no one will ever forget, but instead spend the rest of the year trying to get over. My boss asks me all the time, does it get any easier? The answer is no, it doesn't. In some ways it gets harder each year. Families spend the rest of the 364 days moving on with their lives, some more successful than others, but for the most part they move on. The don't forget. Coming back to Ground Zero each year rips open the wounds that have begun to heal, making each trip more painful. It's taking forever to build something there too for the families. I feel that it's almost embarrassing. But I'm sure that there are people who also just want to leave things as they are as reminder. I don't know, I'd rather see them build something really nice for the families. When you hear the names of all the people who died that day, being read by some significant other, child, parent, or relative, there is an overwhelming feeling of sadness and bitterness. It's really hard to see a big guy cry, but that's the norm on this day. The world and our lives will never be the same. | | |
| It’s amazing what an orange ball can do.
I was watching ESPN this morning (as I did my cardio at 6:30 AM) about how this high school basketball team from New Orleans won the state championship. What made this feat incredible was that hurricane Katrina decimated the school system down there, and with it the basketball team. Basically all of the players from the previous year were scattered all over the states as the Louisiana slowly started to rebuild itself. So this school had to take whoever it could. It grabbed (I think) 11 guys from 5 different school districts (which were all affected by Katrina) and put together a rag-tag team.
They had only 1 proven player, and he thought he was too good for the team. The rest of the team was comprised of guys who only though about trying out, let alone playing on a varsity basketball team. The team got off to a rocky start, compiling a losing record before the start of the state tournament. But something happened before the tournament that changed the team. The coaches challenged that 1 proven player to try and beat his team 1 on 5. To no surprise he couldn’t do it. He had been selfish all year, finally he got the point that basketball should be played like a team. Wouldn’t you know it, they won the state championship against a team that is a perennial powerhouse.
Sports are amazing. I watched the replay of Jason McElwain (who is autistic), score over 20 points in 4 minutes as a high school senior while both his team and the opposition cheered him on.
Who can forget the moment when the Olympic runner from England snapped his hamstring on the track, only to have his father come down from the stands and help him finish the race.
I admit I was only 3 when the 1980 US Olympic hockey team defeated the Russians and went on to win the gold. I’m sure the movie “Miracle” embellishes the event but I’ll bet those that actually saw it live were moved nonetheless.
Sports are inspiring! $25 can buy you a basketball and who knows how many crazy moments like the ones I’ve listed. I just hope I’m lucky enough to see as many of those moments as physically possible. | | |
| I've been engaged for 2 weeks. Couldn't post it because it wasn't announced officially until this past Sunday.
It's amazing how much weddings cost and how much time they take to prepare for. We haven't even really started to prepare yet and I already feel busy. I suppose I won't be going on vacation any time soon.
I don't know what's scarier, marriage, or the proposal. Honestly after the proposal, marriage seems easy. But I know that's not true. I've got all of my married friends telling me that marriage is hard work. Great. Something to look forward to I guess. As long as it doesn't interfere with basketball season! Haha.
Speaking of basketball season, I'm looking for a PG, a good shooter, and a big man. Know anyone? | | |
| The tourney is over. Considering recent events, I'm glad the All-Star game was played without any extra drama.
Is there anything wrong with a Christian basketball tournament being competitive? No, I don't think so. I mean if it wasn’t competitive, what kind of tournament would that be? No, I don’t have a problem with the tournament being competitive. Is it too competitive? No, I don’t think so. Competition is good. Friendly rivalries can be fun.
So why did the championship game turn into UFC 63?
Well I wasn’t there, so everything that I know is hearsay. But I will say that it totally could have been prevented. It all starts with the referees. I understand that the refs are human and that they like to see a game, and that the crowd probably wouldn’t be too happy if fouls were called every 2 seconds. But part of the referee’s job is to call those little fouls so games don’t get out of hand. Who cares about how the game plays, and who cares how the crowd feels. The job of a ref is to call fouls to protect the players. If you allow shoving and slapping here and there, expect things to get heated. Sure the game might be slow in the beginning, but if you call the games close you don’t have to worry about guys tackling others later on. But it’s over now, next question.
Our team needs change. It definitely does. We’re going to open the roster up next year and see who else would like to join. Hopefully that will push other guys to get better, and if they don’t, well…. Maybe they weren’t serious about playing anyway. It’s a tough spot because I feel that I shouldn’t tell people they can’t play with us either. Maybe we’ll have two teams then…. But how should they be split? I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when it comes. Hopefully we’ll get more guys to play next year. | | |
| I used to go to Best Buy every Tuesday to check out the new release DVD's and buy whatever it was that interested me. I wasn't a fan of buying things online because I wanted the item right away, and I was always unsure about quality of items that are sold online. I was always afraid of getting scammed.
But recently I've been hooked on Amazon.com. I signed on to get the Amazon card and I've been buying my movies online for a little while now. It's not so bad. There's no tax and no shipping charge, so I save money, and whenever I use my Amazon card on Amazon.com I get points. After I accumulate a bunch of points, I receive a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com.
I've never had a problem until now. But maybe it's because I ordered something from a third party vendor. Anyway, I'm a big fan of the TV show 24. So I ordered seasons 1-4 of 24. The description of the product said that it was the Asian release version. I should have known that it's the code phrase for bootleg. I've emailed back and forth with the guy that sold me the set. The first disc was scratched so I couldn't even finish it. Supposedly he's going to refund my money and I've sent the set back to him.
I've since bought the real versions of seasons 1-4 of 24 and it's pretty addicting to watch. I must say that it's a bit far fetched that all that stuff can happen in one day, but it's entertaining and after each episode you want to continue on and watch the next one. So far it's my favorite TV series next to Everybody Loves Raymond.
I'll never again buy any product that is an "Asian import". I'm rambling so I'm stopping here. | | |
|
